


Aware of Your Surroundings

by DetectiveSarcasm



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: 2003 Agent Bishop, 2018 turtles mixed with 2003 turtles, Captured, Gen, Hurt Leonardo (TMNT), Hurt turtles, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Experimentation, Missing Persons, Whump Leonardo (TMNT), leo is missing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:54:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23936413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DetectiveSarcasm/pseuds/DetectiveSarcasm
Summary: While they have been living less secretly than giant mutant turtles should, no harm has come to them yet. However, after a routine Pizza Night, the brothers are attacked and separated. Donatello is hurt, his soft-shelled back does nothing to protect him from a fall, and Leo - Leonardo is taken. Missing in action and hidden from his brothers by a man named Agent Bishop._*_*_*_“Count down from 10.”Leo only grimaced, his shoulder burning as the needle left his arm and the limb begging to feel numb. “Could you,” his tongue began to feel heavy. “At leas – le, me…”His tongue stopped working, in fact, his mouth stopped cooperating in general.
Comments: 38
Kudos: 211





	1. Sense the Unknown

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: mentions blood, some violence, and cussing  
> Word Count: 1972  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own them – I’ve just dreamed of owning them  
> A/N: Hey y’all! This is my first fic to this community. When I was younger, I wrote for the 2003 version of the TMNT group. Now that the 2018 version came out, I’ve fallen in love again. They might be a little out of character – I’m still getting into their new attitudes, but hopefully have done them justice. Enjoy, and let me know if I need to update anything!

There was something not right with tonight. The wind blew a different way, the feeling in the rooftop air was static with tension, and his metaphorical hair on the back of his neck was on edge. Except Leo wasn’t one to bring the group down if anything he was the hype man – face man, whatever that meant. He followed Raph’s lead, his older brother knew best anyway. If there was something truly wrong, then Raph would say something – he was the leader, older brother, so he should know… 

Mike laughed, his hands flying in the air as Raph made another jump across the rooftop. Okay, Leo thought, maybe they weren’t paying attention. That’s totally fine, they probably wouldn’t feel different anyway.

Donnie flew higher, his finger lifting slightly to grab the three’s attention, “T-minus 72 seconds my brethren.”

Everyone cheered, pizza night - like every night. 

Dammit, he scratched the back of his neck feeling eyes bore into his plastron. He didn’t want to look back - Leonardo glanced back. Out of every moon shadow, there was – one stood out the most. He held his breath – okay some people knew about them, but they don’t hide. “Hey guys,” Leo spoke up, his voice tentative. He didn’t want to ruin their night, but he had to be safe.

Raphael glanced back, Mikey still on his shoulders. They all gave him a somber look, one that held confusion, but Leo could sense an ounce of annoyance. “What’s up Leo?” Raph titled his head slightly.

Okay, how would he say this? I think someone is watching us? I don’t know how – maybe I don’t, but it feels like it – oh and there’s this shadow. Now he really sounded crazy. He turned around, his hand returning to the back of his neck. “I think we’re being followed.” Leo waited.  
A swirl of machinery and a second later, Donnie lifted his glasses up. “Nothing this way,” Don lifted his shoulders and shrugged, “Maybe you’re going delusional.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” a voice sang from behind them all. They each turned, Don took out his bō staff, each other brother took out their weapons – Leon however, sighed and lackadaisically placed his hand on his sword.

“Oh c’mon,” Leo heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes at the three teenagers in front of him. “I didn’t want to right.”

Donnie pointed his bō at the three opposing enemies, “Purple Dragons – I knew you would come to steal my tech again.”

The kid with the glasses looked betrayed as he gasped, Leo didn’t know who they were – but apparently, Donald knew them. The only girl seemed to be the frontrunner and she scoffed, turning her head slightly. “You wish, Othello Von Ryan.”

“Weird name,” Leo whispered slightly, shrugging in the background.

“We came for those nifty weapons these turtles have,” she pointed to Michael, Raph, and Leo. “Your tech is so last year.”

Donnie gasped and clung to his bō, “How dare you!”

“How do you know these guys D?” Raph grabbed a hold on Mikey from his back and placed him on the ground. “They like your rivals or something?”

“They wish,” Don turned his head and pouted, “they’re just some high school tech wannabes. The only redeeming quality is their fashion.”

Leo and his brothers shared an expounding oh of recognizing. The female signed and pushed her hair behind her ear. “Ignoring that. Othello – “

Mikey raised his hand, “You know his name isn’t Othello Von Ryan, right? Its Donnie” Mike looked down at his fingers and started counting, “Donatello, Don, D, Donald, or my favorite – Purple Rain.”

“Ignoring that as well,” she whispered.

The small lengthy kid scratched his head, “Are you all related? This is very confusing to account for the fact that Othello is practically Brainiac.”

“They look to be related, seeming as to how there are the only four bipedal turtles,” the larger man mentioned softly. 

“We are here,” she said, throwing her hands in the air as she growled again. “Here, for those weapons – hands them over.”

A laugh escaped his throat, “You three are funny. I’m surprised your friends with Donald.” Leo took out his Ōdachi and leaned on it, pointing at the three. “So…you guys from Jersey?”

The girl sighed and ran a hand down her face, “I swear – “she quickly dug into her pockets and fished out a very cartoonish remote. Surrounded by purple, she pressed on the only large red button on the remote with a fiendish laugh. From behind them, they could hear the whirl of machines. Then, once again, Leo’s stomach sank.

His brothers turned to focus on the flying machinery behind them, but Leo knew to end this quickly and get back to their pizza plans, he had to end it quickly. Raphael and Michelangelo threw themselves at the machines. Leo shot forward, his sword already raised and ready to attack the leader. She shot back with a laugh and ducked out of the way, throwing her remote in her pocket before taking off to the sky. 

Leo quickly glanced back, noticing those machines now held a humanoid shape. The bust was in the shape of a briefcase, but lengthy arms shot out, blasters attached to both limbs. Raph and Mikey ducked behind cover on the rooftops and Leo sighed. “Donnie!” He shouted and found his brother quickly running towards the girl that was flying higher. The back of his battle shell quickly unfolded into, what Leo could only describe, flying saucers. He shouted his brother’s name again, and Don nodded in response. They knew what the plan was, call it twin telepathy. Quickly, Donnie shot forward, a rocket forming from his bō and he wound up for a hit. Leo, in turn, jumped past the two other nerds and took slashed through the air. Static shifted in the air, and a blue portal sparked to light. He jumped forward, throwing two fingers at the nerds as he disappeared through the portal. In a split second he was behind the girl, and in the next – Leo was above her, shouting loudly with a bubble of laughter. 

Falling from up high, Leo watched as brother took a swing at the girl, missing slightly. Yet, he did what he intended to, taking her off course, she stumbled slightly in her assent and forgot about the red-eared slider falling towards her. 

Leo fell directly on the target and forced them both towards the rooftop. Leo reached down, as they both squabbled, and reached into her jacket pocket. “Holy shell,” Leo yelled, directing his message to his brother, “These jackets aren’t only stylish, but soft as shit!”  
Don looked slightly annoyed at the comment and began typing on his wrist. “I believe fecal matter isn’t soft, Leon.”

Leo rolled his eyes and ignored the comment, he was busy at the moment. The girl - which after this, Leo should really exchange pleasantries and stop calling her ‘the girl’ - pushed upward, knocking into Leo’s chin and making him bite his tongue. Stifling a curse, Leo felt his balance waver as he tipped back slightly. “Just,” Leo spat out, “give me the remote!”

“Then you give me your sword!” She kicked backward, catching one of Leo’s feet, and the red-eared slider tipped back. He fell backward, his shell falling away from his only source of stabilization, and Leo let out a scream. He was roughly 20 feet in the air at this point and scrambled for his Ōdachi. Only, the girl made it to his back before he could. 

It was a mere second before he stopped falling, noticing her fingers lacing around his wrist. Leo sighed in relief, his heart pounding in his ears. “Oh, thank shell,” he laughed nervously.  
She looked down, on one hand, was his Ōdachi, in the other, was Leo. “I wouldn’t thank your shell just yet, turtle.” As she looked up, a smile crept to the corner of her lips, “Oh Othello Von Ryan!” Donnie looked up, his devices that were helping his other brothers, halted slightly. “How fast do you think you can fly?” A harsh kick was delivered to his chest and Leo dropped.  
The wind was pushed out of his lungs as he tried to regain control over his decent. He saw Donnie from the corner of his eye, lunging quickly to Leo. He could his other brothers yell in unison as Leo fell past the rooftop edge.

Time slowed.

His stomach slipped to his throat as he saw Donnie focusing intently on his brother, and the girl raising something towards Donnie. In a second, Donatello had full control, in the next instant, one of his wings sparked and sputtered as she shot down his wing. Don yelled, hand still reaching out of Leo before it went dark.

-0-0-0-

Donatello didn’t want tonight to exist. It was supposed to be a fun pizza night. Every night was supposed to be a fun pizza night. Yet, instead, he watched as his brother fell from his grasp, hitting a fire escape before slamming shell first into the concrete below. Don couldn’t even pause to think about the odd coloring coming from his brothers back before he crashed into the building. 

He could feel his battle shell divot in, his meticulous machinery crushed under something so simple. Then a second later, he fell downwards towards a sharp piece of metal jutting out of the trash. He forced himself to the side, hoping to avoid any more damage. However, it was too late. The metal pushed its way past the protective barrier of his battle shell, and into his back.  
Donatello screamed. Sheer white-hot pain shot through his whole system. Tears sprang to his eyes as he collided with the ground for a final second and the lights behind his eyes began to flicker.

He started breathing rapidly between his teeth, tears slipped past his tightly closed eyes. “Stay awake,” he whispered to himself. Don opened his eyes, crying out again – he wanted his dad – his brothers. Leo…

Don looked side to side. After a moment of wonder, Donnie finally made out the form of his brother – why was it so dark? He could see the outline of Leo, still and motionless. A dark pool came from Leo’s shoulder and head. Don may have been a scientist, but he read enough doctor and vet books to know that blood from the head was a major injury. He had to look away for a second, pull himself together, and move.

He could hear his brothers shouting, above the NYC noise and blood pumping in his ears, he could hear his and Leo’s name being called. Don picked up his breathing, he needed to move now – or who knows what would happen to Leo. 

Suddenly behind his rapid thoughts and fear, Donnie heard a low voice. “That’s one way to get a specimen.” He looked sharply to Leo, and from the corner of his eyes, he could see a dark form. “I would say it is a bit unethical, however.” A man's face covered by the mask of shadows, knelt down. His black and white suit dipped next to Leo and human fingers pushed against his throat.

Dots danced in his vision, as Donnie let an aggressive growl leave his throat, “Get away from him.” His throat felt dry as he spoke, but saliva slipped from the corner of his mouth.  
The human, clicking his black shades together and tapped his hand on Leo’s chest plate. “It’s good to know you four know how to talk.” He seemed to stand, and once again slipped further into the shadows. “You, purple one, should rest before I return.” His black shoes clicked, “The government will want further specimen.”

Donatello screamed as the man took his brother away.


	2. A Bit Inebriated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matrix crouched down, his arms resting on the edge of his knees. “Many of my scientists are new. The commander won’t give me professional individuals until my theories are proven.”
> 
> Oh shell, Leon thought as he moved his hand to grip the side of his head, please no mumbo-jumbo talk, my junked-up brain can’t take it.
> 
> “You can call me Agent Bishop,” he sighed and took off his black shades. “You have a concussion, turtle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 2396  
> Warning: Please be warned there is talk of blood and slight gore, but other than that! Enjoy!  
> Also, thank you for the sweet comments and kudos!

It was cold contact against his feet that sparked Leonardo awake. With a quick inhale, he shot up, eyes quickly closing as his stomach flipped sideways. His center of gravity tilted to the right, resulting in him quickly loosing balance and falling to left side.

“It seems that the specimen is awake,” a young male voice drifted. Leo felt his shoulder hit the ground and head bounce against the cold concrete, he let out a groan of the awkward contact. “If not a bit inebriated. The pain must be intoxicating his senses.”

Sounds like Donald talk, Leo thought to himself as he attempted to push back the rising feeling of queasiness. Peaking one eye open, Leo found his captors staring at him, engrossed in his dazed spell. “Take a picture,” he felt acid tickling the back of his throat as he let out a wet hiccup, “it will last longer.”

“Fascinating,” the young man’s eyes widened, and he scribbled profusely on his notepad. 

From behind the young squawking child, an older man in a basic black suit pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Mark,” the matrix impersonator sighed, “tell the commander we have a surprise for him.”

“Yes, sir Bishop, sir!” Mark jumped slightly, hand going to his forehead to mimic a juvenile salute. The young man skipped backward, giggling slightly, and ran from the room. 

Leo scoffed marginally at the reaction, “Seems like Mark’s first day on the job.”

Matrix crouched down, his arms resting on the edge of his knees. “Many of my scientists are new. The commander won’t give me professional individuals until my theories are proven.”

Oh shell, Leon thought as he moved his hand to grip the side of his head, please no mumbo-jumbo talk, my junked-up brain can’t take it.

“You can call me Agent Bishop,” he sighed and took off his black shades. “You have a concussion, turtle.”

“Yeah well,” Leo belched slightly, “falling from a rooftop can do that. Even to a handsome chap like me.”

Bishop narrowed his eyes, “Is the rest of your species this naïve?”

“The one and only,” he winked carelessly. Oh, shell that hurt, Leo groaned again, my head hurts. He took a deep breath in and peaked out from his shut eyes. 

The man growled, disappointed. “How old are you turtle? 12? 8? You behave like a child.”

“What if I told you I was as old as dirt?”

Bishop shook his head before his phone rang on his hip. “Unlikely,” he whispered and stood quickly, putting his glasses back on before walking away slightly. 

Leonardo groaned, knowing he’d have to assess the damage before getting home. He sat up a bit, holding his head for support and then looked around. The ground was rocky and uneven, even sitting hurt against the pebble terrain. He tried crossing his feet, but both of his ankles were shackled with short heavy chains. Past Matrix was what seemed to be a man-made tunnel, almost as if they were in the side of a mountain. Each side presented flimsy workspaces, portable cameras, multiple wires running across the floor, and the only solid looking piece of furniture was a metal table in the middle. “Are we in the Bat Cave?” Leo shouted as he placed his head gently against the side of the tunnel.

Bishop turned back indistinctly, and Leon could feel the glare pushing through the dark specs. Leo raised his hands in submission and the man turned back around. “Great,” he sighed as he lifted his right leg. The chain was heavy and bit quickly into his skin. How do I get out of here? He pondered with a sigh of frustration. But then again…How did I get here? Leo blinked in question. He fell, Leo remembered that. But afterwards? While his mind wasn’t as strong as Donatello’s, he figured something would help him come up with a plan. His family might not fully trust him in action, but he would prove them wrong. Sure, his mind was clouded at the moment, and every movement sent him reeling, but he would come up with something – he had too. 

_*_*_*_

Raphael ran.

His feet slick against the tunnel floor, taking him off balance every step or two. However, he couldn’t fall, if he fell, then Donnie might die, and if he died – then Raph would never run again. If he couldn’t run again, then he wouldn’t be able to find Leo. Then if he couldn’t find Leo, then he wouldn’t have his family.

Donald groaned in his grasp as he pressed harder on his wound. “Please,” Don pushed against his chest, “we have to go back for Leo.” Don tried wiggling away from Raph as he cried out, tears slipping down his face as fast as Raph ran.

While he was running to get help, he was distancing himself from where Leo was. Raph had to make a leader decision, and sometimes leaders had to make hard decisions (he read that in a leader book once). Plus, Raphael was the oldest, right? So that meant not only did he have to make sure everyone was safe, he also had to make sure they didn’t make stupid mistakes. 

So, he ran.

Mikey was behind him, holding on to the only remaining mystic weapon that they had. It was Raphael’s tonfa’s, that had saved both him and Donatello. If it wasn’t for Donnie’s scream in desperation, Mike didn’t think they would have found Don in time. If only we knew, Mikey squeezed his eyes shut, forcing back tears.

Donnie let out another cry as Raph came to a forceful stop in front of their hidden door. “Mikey,” Raph snapped in a soft tone. “Get the door – please.”

The smallest turtle nodded quickly before typing in their code and stepped back, letting Raph run in first. A second hadn’t passed before they heard Splinter scream in anger, “Boys! It is la-”

“Dad!” Mikey screamed and he felt tears fall past his broken barrier. “Dad!” He howled again, shouting in fear that had all but now been bottled up, “Don’s hurt! Please.” Mikey cupped his eyes as he followed Raph to the kitchen as Raph placed Donnie down quickly and ran away. Mikey quickly hugged Don’s outstretched hand and wept into his brother’s shoulder.

Splinter stopped outside of the kitchen wall’s, his heart stopping as he stared at his purple banded son. “Donatello,” he said breathlessly. “My son…”

“Dad,” Donnie barked out, his eyes red and bloated from the pain. “They took Leo,” a hiccup passed his shattered character, “I couldn’t stop him.” He clenched his teeth and sobbed, “I failed, they took Leo.”

Splinter’s eyes widened as he felt Raphael rush past him again, gauze and supplies in his large grasp. Took? Splinter questioned; Leonardo has been taken? His mind racing as Raph pressed on Donnie’s back. A scream snapped Splinter out of his trance, and he speed forward. With his time in battle, Splinter had learned how to mend his own broken body, but this would be different. He forced Raphael to the side, jumping onto a chair and measured the damage. The hole had been deep, but it did not hit any vital organ. It was a second later that he noticed a portion of metal was still inside. “You took out the object?” Splinter hissed, sounding harsher than intended.

Raph flinched slightly, stepping backward and taking his hands to his chest. “I…I didn’t know what to do.”

Splinter squeezed his eyes in regret, “I am sorry my son…I did not teach you fundamental medical guidance. I never wanted you boys to experience this.” He looked at Raphael and shook his head, “Son, please grab me a needle and twine.” 

Michelangelo looked up from Donatello’s shoulder, “He’s fine, right, dad?”

“A minor injury,” Splinter sighed, “Donatello will be alright. It will be the healing that will be the worst.” It was no lie, while his sons were strong individuals, their emotions were fragile. Donatello would be fine. The wound to his soft-shelled back would heal, a scar might form due to a portion missing; but their ego – their self was now fragile and broken. Taking a brother of such tightly knitted turtles would do such a thing.

Raphael came back, his large hands holding onto string and needles. Splinter nodded in silence as he quickly drenched the thread in cleaning solution from the first aid-kit. He took a deep breath and let out a hard sigh, “Purple. This will hurt, but please stay still.”

Mikey shot his head back down to Donnie’s shoulder and both closed their eyes tightly. Raph, however, watched as Splinter moved forward and pressed the tip of the needle into his sons back. Don seized slightly, his hold on Mikey compressed harder and he let out a whimper.

Splinter worked quickly, he watched as he pushed the thread through the open skin and pulled it shut. It was mere minutes before the wound was closed, the twine was red due to Donatello’s blood and Splinter hastily sectioned off end with a knot. He felt sick as he heard Donatello force out air that he was holding, and his sons grip on one another loosened. Splinter ran a hand through on the top of his head before he turned to Raphael once more. “Please my son, fetch a fresh wet towel. The cleanest one we have.”

Raph ran.

“We have,” a breath sounded from his purple banded son. “We have to get Leo.”

Splinter looked down at his son and grabbed a hold of his open hand. “My son,” he whispered, “You will be resting-”

“No!” Donatello screamed as his eyes fought to stay open, “Leo is missing because of me!” He took his hand away from Splinter’s grasp and his eyes began to dampen once more. “We can’t just abandon him!”

“We are doing no such thing,” Splinter shot back rashly. His hands clamped together, and he stabilized his breathing. “You, Donatello, will be resting. Your brothers will be watching you.” He heard Raphael enter and Splinter reached out from the cloth. He grabbed the white towel and silently brushed against his sons, now closed wound. “You three will be here, resting and waiting. I will not lose another son to the outside world.”

_*_*_*_

Leonardo watched as Matrix stalked up to his side and the man raised his shoulders up, back, and down, before breathing heavily. “Your blood,” He questioned, “is far different than ours.”

Leo paused for a second, are you kidding me? He looked from side to side, hoping someone would come out and say the obvious. Yet, like always, he would have to be the one to say it. “I don’t want to be rude here, agent man, but I think that’s pretty obvious.”

Bishop sighed and rubbed his eyes with a groan. “It is obvious turtle. However, what I am trying to get at would be that my theory is correct. Aliens, despite my previous encounter, are truly alive and already on earth.”

“Whoa – whoa – whoa, wait a damn shell of a minute here.” Leo cupped both of his hands to his forehead and tried blinking the swimming dots from his vision. “I’m not an alien – I was born here. Well theoretically under New York – but that’s beside the point!”

“Under New York?” Bishop growled, “there is nothing under New York, turtle.” Matrix growled and turned around cursorily, “Unless aliens have been here longer than what I’ve calculated.”

Leo gave out a long and boisterous groan, “Okay. Look, Matrix, is it okay if I call you Matrix? - ”

“-No-”

“Matrix, Aliens, while they may be out there,” Leo flung his hand out and waved it limply. “They are not here – and I’m not an alien, just some weird science experiment by some crazy Yōkai.”

“Yōkai? I have never heard of this term,” Bishop grabbed his chin and scratched. Embracing his true villain, Leo rolled his eyes and laid back down. Nothing he could do now but wait for an opportunity to get away or wait for his family. “Tell me, Turtle,” Bishop walked closer to Leo and glared. “If you have different blood, then would that mean your brain is different?”

Leo cracked an eye open, his heart faltering marginally at the words. “I function the same way any other human would.”

Bishop smirked and he chuckled under his breath, “Fantastic answer.”

Seconds passed, silence carried out between the two, then footsteps approached. It sounded like a multitude of individuals, metal clanking with the rhythm. Bishop reached up and adjusted his tie, his smirk turned into a gleaming smile. “First,” he sang out, “we figure out what organs you have. Extract more blood in the process. We won’t be doing it the functional way, who knowns if an X-Ray can capture underneath that shell. If you’re more human than you say you are, then we will truly find out.”

Leo held his breath, his eyes widening behind his blue mask as he swallowed in fear. “Look – I can tell you anything I know but-”

Bishop shook his head, “I have been experimented on before, turtle. I was able to survive because I am human.” Men finally filled behind him, “Let see how human you are,” Bishop let a laugh out and watched as then men came with their hands filled with medical equipment and masks covering their face. “Men,” Bishop shouted, “bring the turtle to the table.”

“NO!” Leo reeled back, his head bumping up against the cave wall. His heart began to pump, pushing adrenaline through his system as he jumped into his fight or flight response. He kicked out at the men who jumped on him, making them seem like rabid dogs. “Stop! Please –“

The men grabbed at his arms and legs, taking off the shackles that held him in place. They each lifted him as he squirmed for freedom. Yet, as Leonardo struggled and kicked to get free, he began seeing dots littering his vision, making his balance tilt, and his stomach flip. He was quickly strapped to the table, too concussed to understand that his limbs were being locked into place. He blinked, eyes fluttering around as he struggled in vain. He met eyes with Bishop one last time before a his arm was injected with an unknown substance.


	3. Bone Saw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 2018  
> Warnings: graphic stuff, but I'm sure for those who saw the missing and other tags that you should already know what you're in for.

Kendra lifted the long, overly heavy sword and brought it down with a scream.

Again, nothing.

“This is ridiculous,” she said with a growl and swiped the sword again. “How are those green frogs able to do this, and I can’t?” Kendra brought it to the right, then left, then right – left, right, left, right left right lef-ri-l-r

She shouted in irritation and dropped the dense weapon. The other option was that weird ball on a stick – but when she first tried it, the stupid object just flew and hit her in the back of the head.

They waisted their time taking these weapons.

She was positive that there was no way fire could come out of the ball and a portal could be produced from the sword. Scientifically – it was impossible.

She kicked the weapons in irritation and jumped on her bed – screaming into her pillow. “This is the worst day of my entire life!”

The door creaked open.

“…Kendra,” a small voice spoke up. She let out a long audible sigh into her pillow.

“What do you want Jase?” She asked and remained laying down, her voice muffled by the cushion.

“Mom and dad are asking you to stop having a ‘teenage meltdown’.”

She flipped him off as her phone rang, and the door shut behind her stepbrother.

Looking up from the sanction of her pillow, Kendra groaned at the unknown number. “I swear if this is Jeremy asking for-”

“Kendra,” the voice was pressing and, in some odd way, pained.

She sat up quickly, her legs crossing over one another and a smirk grew over her lips. “Othello Von Ryan, what a pleasant surprise.”

“Cut the crap Kendra,” Donatello snapped. “I have a proposition for you.”

* * *

Leonardo stilled, his eyes glancing from right to left as men in white coats and goggles marched around him and talked science. He knew nothing of this mumbo jumbo, talks of trivial matter, few and far reasons as to why he wasn’t human. He had spoken up a few times, trying to walk them through: “Why yes I am not a human, as you can see, I have a shell, three fingers, and resemble a turtle.” Yet, they didn’t listen, writing whatever he would say, then shuffle away. The group of scientists would only listen when Matrix spoke up.

“Samuel,” Bishop strolled up to his forced resting place and cupped his hands behind his back. Looking down at Leonardo, the corner of his lips curled. “We need a large sample of blood from this turtle, a few shell samples, and why not throw in some skin samples as well. The general will need a reason to support our future experiments, so make each sample well worth the pain.”

Leonardo blinked, “Look, Matrix, I’m not a huge fan of needles – could we possibly skip all those samples and just let me pee in a cup?”

“Turtle,” Bishop pushed his shades up to the top of his nose. “I don’t believe you understand that you don’t have a say here. You are property, and as such, you will not speak on any matter.”

“ _Harsh_ ,” Leo whispered under his breath.

“Gentlemen,” Bishop raised his voice, his eyes pinned on Leonardo. “You may begin.” The man turned, yet before walking away, his head turned to the right, “oh, and turtle.” The suited man leaned forward, “you will refer to me as Bishop.”

Stepping back, two men replaced Bishop and a large needle glistened before protruding into his skin. A sharp pain pinched to his right, but Leo only grimaced. He’s had blood extracted before, sure he didn’t enjoy needles, but he could manage.

Managing was manageable.

A few seconds ticked by, and Leo waited. Managed and waited…Yet, the amount they were extracting was worrisome. He watched as red kept leaving his arm and down a tube. It kept going.

And going.

 _And going_.

Going until he started becoming vaguely anxious. His stomach curled in and he had to look away for a bit. “I think you guys might want to slow down,” Leo shut his eyes and focused on his breathing. “I’ll make more, just – let me catch up.” The only response was the heart rate monitor picking up pace.

The room was tipping to the side. Vertigo started to set in, and Leo knew that they were taking a bit too much blood for his body's liking. He took a deep breath in and tried to steady the room that leisurely tumbled. His anxiety tried washing him over, but before he went into a full-blown panic, the needle slid out of his arm and he began to feel cold.

Then another needle pinched him near his shoulder. This one stung, taking his mind off of the blood loss and to a new form of panic. “Count down from 10.”

Leo only grimaced, his shoulder burning as the needle left his arm and the limb begging to feel numb. “Could you,” his tongue began to feel heavy. “At leas – le, me…”

His tongue stopped working, in fact, his mouth stopped cooperating in general.

* * *

Donatello placed his hand against his chair and stood. His hand immediately went to his side, and he let a groan out. “Kendra,” his voice wavered slightly. Don took a few steps, then lightly leaned against his wall, dizzy from his movements. “I need those weapons back. Either we take them by force, or we made a trade.”

“You’re in no shape to be making deals with me Othello,” she laughed over the phone line.

“Look,” Don growled, his eyes hardening as he took a few more steps. “I am willing to make a trade, as long as you give me my brother's weapons back.”

There was a pause across the landline, then seconds later a laugh rang out. “And what is this proposition you are offering me?”

His brothers were presumably asleep, but not wanting to wake them up or cause them to freak out, Donnie kept his voice low. “All of my tech.” He checked behind his shoulder and with another groan, Don he picked his bō staff up with growing fear.

Another pause.

“What makes you think I want your tech when I have something that is far beyond human understanding in my grasp?”

 _Shell_ , Donnie thought and fell back in his chair. A pained gasp left his throat before he could stop it. Tears sprang to his tired eyes and he took in a long breath, “Those weapons are worth more than you could imagine…”

“You sound desperate, Othello.”

His fist slammed on the purple keypad and he began to shout, “That’s because I **am**!” His voice trembled, and Leo’s face flashed in his mind.

“Donnie!” A voice called behind him, and the purple mutant quickly turned off his phone and cursed. “What are you doing in your lab?” Raphael quickly marched towards Don; his eyes set in determination as he trudged near his brother. Despite his crude and angered gaze, his voice was soft, “You're supposed to be resting.”

Don swiveled his chair around and stared at his monitor, the reflection of his large and overly protective brother on the screen. “I am,” He replied curtly. “See, sitting. If you look up the technical term of sitting it is considered resting.”

Raph’s reflection frowned, “That’s not what I meant-”

“My body weight is supported primarily by my buttocks and is in contact with my chair. This is elevating stress on my mid-section, in which I received an unfortunate blow…”

“Donatello,” his brother barked calmly, and Don pressed his lips in a thin line, looking down. “You gotta sleep, bro.”

“And are you sleeping?” Donnie asked under his breath. “Your eyes are just as red, meaning you’ve been up – not resting.” He turned around, mid-section burning but Don ignored it, just as Raph had ignored his comment. “I bet Michell isn’t even sleeping. How could we?”

Raph gazed to the right, his mouth twitching, as if wanting to respond, but nothing came.

Donnie stopped; he didn’t have time for this. Correction, Leonardo didn’t have time for this. Splinter might be doing something, but Donatello had no clue if that would be a successful endeavor. He had things to do and bickering with Raphael was nothing he needed right now. His brothers, while strong in their own way, could not help him in his search. So, foremost, Don needed to locate his missing twin. Be that with Leonardo’s mystic weapon, or with Science. The ladder would be the most successful, yet Don couldn’t see past having the mystic weapon as the fastest option. Though Donatello knew not how to produce portals, he couldn’t see past the option.

“I can’t do _anything_ to help look for him, alright?” Raphael snapped Donnie out of his thoughts. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not doing something. You can do your science mumbo-jumbo, but me? I can’t do anything but break things and demand answers.” Raph growled deeply, his kind appearance shaken away with anger. “So, don’t,” his brother snarled inaudibly, “don’t say I can’t help – because I’m trying Donatello. If that means I have to carry you to your room and knock you out so you will sleep, then so be it. It’s the only fucking thing I can do right now.”

* * *

Leonardo struggled to keep his breathing regulated. With a tube forced down his right nostril, IV’s pinned in both arms, and his eyes being taped open, he didn’t have any other option. While he didn’t struggle to breathe, the harsh and tacky airways made it difficult to inhale all the way. The sound of pained wheezing also made him alarmed. Yet, that was nothing compared to the growing burn under his front shell.

A bone saw hummed to life to his left.

Leo so desperately wanted to move but nothing changed – not even his eyes. He was stuck in his body – for once feeling trapped with no way out. A man, red hair brushed to the side, moved close with the saw.

He wanted to scream – he wanted to scream so bad that his chest began to hurt. His eyes started to tear up, but with all his efforts nothing but a pathetic whimper escaped his throat.

Then once the bone saw met his front shell, pain screamed to life. He tried pulling away, anything to stop the man making any further indents on his plastron, but nothing helped. His body was a weight he couldn’t pull or push against.

He was _trapped_.

The scientist sectioned off a part of his shell and, after cutting right above his upper left chest, the man turned off the saw. His fingers laced around the now square traced portion of his shell and he pulled. The crack of his shell sent Leo into a frantic frenzy, and this time, his body listened. His arms moved at first, pulling against the restraints that Leo all but forgot about. His head moved to the side and a screamed ripped out of his throat.

Men jumped on top of him, holding him down as the scientist still pulled against the shell on his chest. His chest plate cracked in session, then a tearing sound, almost wooden, filled Leo’s ears. His eyes tore against the tape, that holding them open, and he was able to shut his eyes with another screech of agony. His front shell popped, cracked, and finally, a resounding snap and the pain stuttered to a standstill.

“Damn, that was worse than pulling out my kids’ tooth.” The man with his shell in his hand boasted with a tired laugh. “Whatever this thing is, it can put up a fight.”

Leonardo felt his breath stammer, his intake erratic and senseless. It was then that he noticed a dull pulse throbbed from where they tore off a piece of his chest plate. He opened his eyes slowly and felt tears slip down his face.


End file.
